Prefabricated heating structure and method of installing



June 2, 1964 M. WATSON 3,135,040

FREFABRICATEZD HEATING STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF INSTALLING Filed Jan. 29.1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

LEE M WATSON BYiE ATTORNEYS June 2, 1964 L. M. WATSON 3,135,040

FREFABRICATED HEATING STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF INSTALLING Filed Jan. 29,1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

LEE M. WATSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,135,040 1 I PREFABRICATEDHEATING STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF INSTALLING Lee M. Watson, South Bend,Ind., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Singer Company, New York,N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 169,1932 Claims. (Cl. 29-155.62)

The present invention relates to a heating structure for use in buildingconstructions and to a method of making and installing the heatingstructure.

Electrical heating for homes and oflices and industrial buildings isbecoming one of the principal types used today, and in view of the manyadvantages of this type of heating, including cleanliness, space savingand being service free, it will in all probability become increasinglypopular, particularly in new construction and in extensive remodeling ofold structures. While electrical panels adapted to be installed as unitshave been tried and are eing used to a limited extent, this type hascertain inherent disadvantages, particularly lack of versatility andadaptability to various types of construction and space size and shape.The trend therefore has been in the direction of embedding individualwires in the masonry or plaster ceilings or floors. This type ofinstallation, while versatile and readily adaptable to any type ofheating requirements, involves the tedious operation of stringing andsecuring the individual strands to a partially completed ceiling orfloorbefore the final coating or layer of the ceiling or floor structure isapplied. Various types of frames or the like, such as wire mesh,carrying the heating wire have been tried, but these are often difficultto install, expensive and not sutficiently versatile to permit theirgeneral use in all types of building structures. It is therefore one ofthe principal objects of the present invention to provide aprefabricated heating structure for buildings and the like, in which theheating wires can easily and readily be arranged to any desiredpredetermined pattern or configuration, and which can be secured firmlyto a prepared surface by merely pressing the strucing construction,either new or old, which can be effectively used in plaster, masonry anddry-wall construction and which can be left exposed or fully enclosed orembedded in the floor or ceiling construction with only a relativelythin layer of material.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a heating structurewhich consists of a coarse mesh, nonmetallic material with strands ofinsulated heating wire adhered thereto and which is secured to asupporting surface such as a ceiling or sub-floor by an adhesivematerial. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a heating structure ofthe aforesaid type which, after being applied to the supportingstructure, does not interfere with satisfactory installation orapplication of the final coat or layer of cement, plaster, masonry,paint or other compositions of these types.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heating structure forincorporation in building structures and the like, which can be readilymanufactured in plant facilities, rolled or folded into compact packagesfor easy handling and shipping, and which can be applied to the ceilingstructure in large, sheet-like layers over wide areas of various sizesand shapes.

Another object is to provide amethod of fabricating and installing aheating structure of the foregoing type embodying the present novelstructure. I Additional objects and advantages of the present inventronwill become apparent from the following descrip tion and accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of one form of the present heating structureshowing it in condition for installing in a ceiling or floor structure;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the heating structureshown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged, fragmentary view of the heatingstructure shown in FIGURES l and 2, taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view through the he-at-' Referring morespecifically to the drawings, the heating structure shown in FIGURE 1consists of a carrier 10 of a fabric-like material of coarse mesh,numerals 12 and 14 designating the warp and the woof of the fabric. Thecoarse mesh material illustrated in FIGURE 2 is actual size and shows aspacing of the intersecting strands of approximately one-fourth of aninch, a spacing which has been found suitable for most installations. Aheating element wire 16 is mounted on and secured to the carrier bythermoplastic material in any desired pattern to give the requiredheating characteristic of the installation. The foregoing structure isextremely flexible and may be rolled or folded for handling andshipping, and may be installed easily around corners and readily mountedon curved and angular surfaces.

The heating wire 16 consists of a resistance wire 20 of copper, bronzeor brass coated with a thermoplastic insulating material, 22 and isplaced on carrier 10 in any predetermined pattern, the one shownconsisting of parallel strands 24 connected by curved portions 26 at theends of strands 24. Various other configurations of the heating wire maybe made to satisfy requirements. The ends of the heating wire preferablyextend over the same edge or end of carrier 10 and are connected to coldwires 28 and 30, which in turn are connected to a source of electricalcurrent. A series of the panel-type structures shown in FIGURE 1 may bemounted on a ceiling or floor surface and connected by common cold wiresto the current source.

The carrier preferably consists of fiberglass strands 12 and 14 treatedwith polyvinyl chloride, such as plastisol, either before or after theheating element wire has been applied thereto, the plastisol beingapplied primarily for the purpose of maintaining the fiberglass in theproper mesh form and preventing fraying of the fiberglass. The

electric heating element wire is placed on the fiberglass embraced atthe points of contact by the insulating maavailable on the market.

Wire and also to provide adequate insulation 'on the wire at the jointsbetween the wire and carrier. It is not necessary for the insulatingmaterial to completely enclose the strands,.but rather that it extendaround the strands sulficiently to, in efifect, lock the strands in theslot created thereby, the locking effect being produced by the flow ofinsulating material at points 32 and 34 inwardly toward one anothersufficiently to form a restricted slot 36 in which the strands arefirmly held. This construction produces a rugged structure which can behandled, shipped and applied to the ceiling or floor structure withoutthe heating wire being displaced or the structure otherwise damaged.

After the heating wire and carrier have been assembled and secured toone another, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the composite structure istreated with a sizing compound or primer of such composition thatitbecomes fully dry and non-tacky so that the structure can be handled andshipped without the contacting parts of the structure adhering to oneanother. A suitable material for this purpose'consists of a nitrile baseadhesive readily After the nitrile material, for example, has beenapplied to the material and permitted to set, a composite structure canthen be rolled or folded and prepared for shipment.

When an installation is to be made using the foregoing compositestructure, the surface of the masonry or plaster sublayer 38 of theceiling or floor is coated with a layer of V adhesive material, such asliquid neoprene base adhesive and, while the layer is still tacky, thecomposite heating structure .with the previously applied primer ispressed against the coated surface. As soon as the composite 1 structurecomes in contact with the tacky adhesive material, the primer or sizingagent on the composite structure is reactivated, causing the structureto adhere to the surface. After the adhesive has set and become dry, thecomposite structure adheres firmly to the ceiling surface. The type ofmaterial mentioned herein does not interfere with the subsequentapplication of a layer of plaster, cement, heavy base paint orothersimilar materials for enclosing the heating structure. FIGUREillustrates the installation of the heating structure on the ceilingwith the wires 1.6 on the upper side of the carrier and FIGURE 6illustrates the installation with the wire on the underside of thecarrier, the latter arrangement being preferred,

particularly when an external coat or layer 40 is applied to the ceilingsurface to enclose the heating element,

material will react with the sizing agent or primer after the adhesivehas been applied to the ceiling to produce an effective bond betweenthese materials to secure the heating structure to the ceiling. Anotherrequirement for the adhesive and primer is the non-interference with theapplication of the external or final layer 40 of the ceiling.

It is seen from the foregoing description that the carriermay be ofvarious shapes and sizes, and the heating element Wire may be placedthereon in any desired configuration to satisfy requirements. After theheating structure has been assembled, it can be applied directly to theceiling after the adhesive material has been applied thereto and easilyfolded or pressed into various configurations to conform to the contourof the wall, including corners, beams, and pipes and conduitstocompletely enclose these structures with a satisfactory electricalheating system.

While only one specific embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed in detail herein, various changes in the structure andmaterials used therein can be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

I claim: 1. A method of producing a heatingstructure having sections ofresistance wire, comprising coating said wire' with a thick layer ofthermoplastic insulating material,

mounting said wire in a predetermined pattern on a carrier of coar emeshed strands, pressing the insulating material of said wire on saidcarrier until said material substan-' tially embraces the strands at thepoints of contact there- 1 with, coating said carrier and insulated Wirewith an adhesive primer, coating the surface to which the heatingstructure is to be applied with a tacky adhesive, and pressing saidcarrier and said insulated wire against the adhesive'ly coated surface.1 v

2. A method of installing a heating structure consisting of sections ofresistance wire, comprising coating said Wire with a thick layer ofinsulating material, mounting said wire in a predetermined pattern on acarrier, pressing the insulating material of said wire on said carrierto secure the wire to the carrier, coating said carrier and insulatedwire with an adhesive primer, coating the surface to which the heatingstructure is to be applied with a tacky ad hesive, and pressing saidcarrier against the adhesively coated surface.

9 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSTheodore et al. Nov. 21, 1961

2. A METHOD OF INSTALLING A HEATING STRUCTURE CONSISTING OF SECTIONS OFRESISTANCE WIRE, COMPRISING COATING SAID WIRE WITH A THICK LAYER OFINSULATING MATERIAL, MOUNTING SAID WIRE IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN ON ACARRIER, PRESSING THE INSULATING MATERIAL OF SAID WIRE ON SAID CARRIERTO SECURE THE WIRE TO THE CARRIER, COATING SAID CARRIER AN INSULATEDWIRE WITH AN ADHESIVE PRIMER, COATING THE SURFACE TO WHICH THE HEATINGSTRUCTURE IS TO BE APPLIED WITH A TACKY ADHESIVE, AND PRESSING SAIDCARRIER AGAINST THE ADHESIVELY COATED SURFACE.